Every year on May 21st, “UNESCO leads the celebration of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development highlighting not only the richness of the world’s cultures, but also the essential role of intercultural dialogue for achieving peace and sustainable development.” Source
At UNIMED we recognize the Intercultural dialogue among our priorities. All along the years, many initiatives launched or events organised were tackling this key topic. One of the most recent is the Mediterranean Student Summit.
Launched by the Erasmus Student Network and UNIMED, the main goal of this initiative is to increase mutual awareness and understanding among students from the Mediterranean region and to support the development of competencies that help them to work together on societal challenges and to establish meaningful connections.
Next October 1-3, 2025 it will be held the 4th edition of the Mediterranean Student Summit, which has gathered in the previous editions a total of 66 students.
According to UNESCO data “three-quarters of the world’s major conflicts have a cultural dimension. Bridging the gap between cultures is urgent and necessary for peace, stability and development.” Source
Focusing on this aspect, UNIMED is currently participating as a partner in the project TRANSITION, a project co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.
Working across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Yemen, the TRANSITION project aims at reinforcing the role of higher education institutions in protecting both tangible and intangible cultural heritage of minority communities. In areas deeply affected by decades of conflict, instability, and marginalisation, the preservation of minority cultures is more than a symbolic gesture—it is a powerful tool for reconciliation, resilience, and development.
The project started in February 2025 and you can find the updates and the results it will achieve on the project website here.
The importance of preserving, and giving value to, the cultural heritage is the main reason that has brought us to produce the Podcast Mediterranean Intangible Heritage Soundscape authored by Prof. Paolo Scarnecchia.
Launched in 2024, the podcast currently counts 12 episodes. In each episode, Prof. Scarnecchia meets experts, performers and artists who present the musical traditions, passed down from generation to generation, and influenced by migrations, history and people all along the centuries in the Mediterranean region. By starting this musical and poetic journey around the Mediterranean we have discovered a rich landscape of cultures and traditions, with common roots and, sometimes, common evolution.
Taste the sound of the Mediterranean, have a glimpse of the podcast.
The Podcast Mediterranean Intangible Heirtage Soundscape is available on Spreaker.
Discover more about the World Day for Cultural Diversity
